Death according to Emma and Ben

Emma and Ben are consumed with death at the moment. They keep asking how and why granny died. They play dead and you have to tickle them to 'make them come alive' (this is where I normally have a few minutes quite time as I leave them 'lifeless' on the floor, bed or couch before I resurrect them). 

If I'm sick they ask Mark if I'm going to die. If he's sick, they ask me the same question. If I mention someone's in hospital they want to know if the person is going to die and go to heaven. I hear Ben telling Emma that if she doesn't eat her veggies she's going to die. I hear Emma tell Ben that if he touches her dolls she's going to make him die. And so it goes on. 

Emma told me the other day that her teacher said people mustn't smoke. I smoke. I asked her why and she said because people die from it and it also makes the earth dirty. Ben piped up that I need to stop smoking asap because it's bad for me, to which I agreed (that it's bad for me. Not to stop.)

Later that evening, while they bathed and I sat chatting to them, Emma got this rather forlorn look on her face. I asked her what was wrong and she told me she was sad because she didn't want me to die. I told her that everyone dies eventually but it's not something she needed to worry about right now (I hope!)

Ben copied Emma with the sad look and so I also asked him what was wrong. And he told me he didn't want me to die and 'go up to the sky'. 

I asked them both why they think I'm going to die (soon, by the sounds of things), planning in my head to try and stop smoking and eat more veggies and maybe walk around the block, to prolong my life, and stop them worrying about losing their mom.

'Cos you're old!' Emma said.